‘Be More Chill’ is the latest tale of teen angst, set in a very modern America, based on the young-adult novel by Ned Vizzini. The music and lyrics, by Joe Iconis, are high octane and edgy (porn and masturbation are mentioned in the first few bars) but also charming in their energetic fizz. The script is predictable: nerd seeks acceptance, mean girls are mean, jocks are spineless and geeks get bullied. You know from the start that 'people gonna learn things' and everyone will be nice to each other in the end.
The hook of this particular show, is the sci-fi twist. On offer, in the back of a shoe shop in the mall, is a pill to make you cool. The "SQUIP" (Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor) is a supercomputer in the form of a grey pill that can communicate directly with your brain after being swallowed. Our protagonist, geeky Jeremy Heere (Connor Simkins), is left to raise himself on a cocktail of computer games and Majorana by his trouser-less father and absent mother, alongside his best friend Michael (Phil Amaro). They navigate the perils of the social pecking order and hear of this pill and its ability to change you from outsider nerd to high school cool. Jeremy duly swallows the pill. Three Squip Ninjas (not in the original musical) and The Squip himself (Daryl Holden), attack him and enter his mind, where they can be seen and heard only by him. From here on in we watch angst-fuelled wrestling as Jeremy listens to the voice in his head, abandoning his old life and only friend, learning how to be liked by girls, noticed by the cool kids and accepted into their world.
What We Did Next's production at Hope Street Theatre, was a red bull-energetic performance. The cast shone brightest when singing along to the band's romping beat, a six piece, with excellent musical direction from Mark Newberry and Josie Conti. Their vocal talents were clear and undoubtedly the best thing about this show. There were however, some technical issues. The audience were seated very ( too) close to the action and it was hard not to feel yelled at as each character bellowed their songs, full throttle, into your earlobe. Lily Mak, as Christine, the romantic lead, was sweet and her smile endearing. She became comfortable to watch by the end but did need warming up to, perhaps that's the role but in a performance space as small as this, she can afford to tone it down (the dancing entrance was bizarre and clumsy, as was most of the choreography). In a performance space as tight as they made it, I was unsure why they decided to use only one level for the dance numbers. The set was Pac Man themed denoting an 80s vibe, which seemed out of sorts with the modern telling of high school life.
The idea itself was innovative and interesting, with revolving doors moving scenes forward, reflecting the moving status of what's cool, however the transitions felt clunky and amateurish. Connor Simkins held the performance together as the lead, Jeremy, hurtling from song to song, moving his awkward teenage body with familiar accuracy, his face exploding with expression. His voice was excellent and he worked tirelessly throughout, appearing in almost every scene. The star performance however, was from Phil Amaro, playing Jeremy's best friend Michael. Amaro let rip with his stunning vocals and set the stage alight in the song 'Michael In The Bathroom' bemoaning his loss and the fragility of teen friendship. I wanted more of him throughout the first half and thoroughly enjoyed the moments both boys (Amaro and Simkins) were together on stage, harmonising and riffing off each other.
The directing was most effective in the moments when fewer cast were on stage and we saw the characters and script shine. When Michael (Amaro) and Jeremy's father (Andrew Michael Jones) concoct their plan to save Jeremy, the acting was sincere, funny and one of the show’s few moments of restraint. Whole cast ensemble pieces were affected and needed far more work to fit the level of skill shown by the cast in their vocal ability. However the trio of mean girls (played by Roisin Carlin, Eliza Hall and Emma Flynn) were accurately portrayed with tongue-in-cheek humour and eye-watering candour.
It's an achievement that What We Did Next brings the North West premiere of Be More Chill to the city, clearly catching the zeitgeist with a sound track that's had more than 100 million downloads from its (mostly teen) fan base. There's a cheeky, knowing quality to this production but I can confirm, nothing about it is chill. Oh to be thirteen again and actually enjoy an all-American, white, high school, coming of age musical. I know my teenage self would have been one of those downloading fans, but I'm not in a hurry to return to those days, nor this production. Take your teenage daughter, she'll love it, but don’t forget the ear-plugs and maybe head to the back.
Reviewer - Abigail Cox
on - 8/5/19
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